


That One Time Rin Aced Recitation or How to Speak Latin Without Really Trying

by Adoxerella



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-20
Updated: 2015-06-20
Packaged: 2018-04-05 05:21:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4167504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adoxerella/pseuds/Adoxerella
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rin has a hard time with a lot of his Cram School classes, but at least once he found out growing up in a monastery gave him an advantage</p>
            </blockquote>





	That One Time Rin Aced Recitation or How to Speak Latin Without Really Trying

Recitation was possibly Rin’s least favorite class. Not only did it require copious reading and even more memorization, both things he knew he wasn’t good at, but the teacher seemed to garner far too much glee from seeing him mess up. Even though Koneko, Suguro and Izumo would always have their hands raised with answers, the teacher usually called on Rin first. Even when he paid close attention, taking notes as best he could and struggling to stay awake, she would still single him out, just to hear what lame answer he was able to sputter out. 

It was frustrating. He knew he wasn’t smart, dammit. There was no reason for her to rub it in. There was a reason why he chose a more physical meister to pursue. He tried as best he could, and he knew that best wasn’t that great, but there was no need to make him feel like crap just because he was dumb. After all, even Suguro had stopped chiding him after a while as long as he was trying. If his easily annoyed friend could tell he was doing all he could, why couldn’t the teacher do the same.

Today, Rin would admit to being distracted. They had a test during Signs and Seals and Shura would have his hide if he didn’t at least pass. The knight had actually dedicated part of their training period to studying for the test, and the practical lessons had really helped him understand. Still he wanted to do a bit more studying so he could show the woman how much he’d learned. Of course studying for another class meant he had no clue how to answer. He stared blankly while Suguro and Izumo both raised their hands, but the teacher ignored them and glared at Rin instead.

“I asked you a question, Okumura-kun.”

“Eh, Sorry Sensei, I missed it.” He blushed deeply, fidgeting in his chair. “Could you repeat it.” 

“I asked for the Latin litany of the  _Lamb of God_.”

Rin answered almost without thinking. Though the form of the answer probably took some of his classmates by surprise. However he knew the only way he’d manage to get the whole thing out with the right pronunciation would be to repeat it exactly as he’d learned it. Which was why he opened his mouth and began to sing.

“ _Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis._  
_Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis._  
 _Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pachem._ ”

The last note trailed off, while around the room his friends looked a bit gobsmacked. The teacher looked so stunned, Rin was almost offended.

“Er, yes, correct Okumura-kun, though your delivery is rather unconventional.” She seemed to recover a bit, and her surprised expression turned into a smirk. “Since you answered so easily, perhaps you could also grace us with the  _Sanctus_.”

Rin frowned, but knew better to complain. Beside he was able to admit he got a bit of pleasure from being able to surprise her. He just hoped she could deal with the continuation of his ‘unconventional’ delivery method.

 _“Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,_  
_Dominus Deus[Sabaoth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabaoth)._  
 _Pleni sunt cæli et terra gloria tua._  
 _[Hosanna](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosanna) in excelsis._  
 _Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini._  
 _Hosanna in excelsis_. “

Once again his classmates looked a bit stunned, but Rin was more concerned with the blossoming anger on the teacher’s face.

“Why do you keep singing, Okumura-kun.”

“Because that’s how I memorized them, Sensei.”

“Explain.”

“I grew up in a monastery, Sensei. I was raised in the Church and my Dad was a priest. As soon as we were old enough Yukio and I were singing in the choir, especially after Father Fujimoto and the rest of the priests figured out we could sing pretty good.” He could feel his cheeks heating up as he squirmed in his seat. Shiemi looked over at him, her expression a strange mix of confused and concerned, but there was a strange light in her eyes, like she was delighted by something. Rin couldn’t figure out what that would be, since the young tamer wasn’t the type to enjoy someone’s embarrassment. “When we were older, we also had to serve as alter boys a lot, since there weren’t a lot of kids in our parish. Dad expected us to know all the prayers as part of that.”

“That doesn’t explain the singing, Okumura-kun.”

“Eh? Well that’s how you say them during Lent. I mean, our parish wasn’t big enough to have a full Latin mass.” He scratched his head. “I don’t think too many places do those any more, but during Lent we always break out the Latin for certain parts of mass. I thought that was how everybody knew them.”

He heard a snort from the direction of Suguro’s chair, which made him snap.

“Do the chants not work if they’re sung?”

The teacher looked as if she had bitten down on a lemon. 

“As long as the wording is correct delivery does not matter,” Rin could tell she hated making that admission. “What is important is the conviction with which they are said, but that isn’t the point.”

“Why not? Wouldn’t saying them how I learned them in church make me more convicted?”

This time the snort of laughter came from Izumo, but it was followed by close on the heels by Konekomaru’s calm voice.

“He’s right. If the method of memorization echos his own personal beliefs then it would be more effective than a spoken recitation, even if it was perfect. In a situation requiring the use of such a prayer Okumura-kun would be a better choice than Suguro or myself because he has the strength of his beliefs backing him up.”

Rin wanted to turn around and shoot his friend a grin, but he didn’t dare turn away from teacher. She seemed a bit put out by Koneko’s interruption.

“Be that as it may, Miwa-kun, it still isn’t the proper way of saying those verses.”

“Tch.” Apparently Suguro had finally had enough. “That’s a stupid argument.” Despite the teacher’s outraged exclamation, Suguro kept going. “If saying the verses the way we learned them makes them more powerful then that’s they way we should say them. If Konekomaru and I learned the Buddhist sutras as chants, we should say them that way. If Okumura’s got more power behind his prayers if they’re sung, well that idiot needs all the advantage he can get.”

Rin was caught between being annoyed at Suguro’s name calling and touched by his defense of his methods.

“It’s common knowledge that a prayer or sutra in the Aria’s own belief system is the most effective choice when it’s applicable,” Konekomaru added. “Now that I know Okumura-kun knows those prayers, I’ll be sure to add them to our battle strategies.”

“But still,” the teacher looked irritated at the fact she was being lectured by her own classroom. “Proper methods need to be-”

“You’re just saying that because you don’t want to admit Okumura’s right.” Izumo finally piped in, her voice sounding annoyed as usual. “If it had been any of the rest of us you wouldn’t be arguing. So can we just finish the lesson.”

The teacher looked furious, especially when Koneko, Suguro and Shiemi piped up in agreement. 

“Fine, Izumo-chan, then why don’t you continue by giving us the  _Gloria_.”

Rin could almost picture the smirk on the girl’s face as he heard her begin to sing. 

“ _Glória in excélsis Deo,  
et in terra pax homínibus bonæ voluntátis..._ ”

“Show off,” he heard Suguro mutter. However Rin was too busy basking in the warm glow of acceptance from his friends.

Later that afternoon, after they had all handed in their tests for Signs and Seals, the topic of Rin’s singing came up again.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell us you knew the Latin prayers,” Suguro complained. “That information could have been useful.”

“I thought your knew.”

“How in the world would we know that?”

“Well my dad was a priest. How did you thing I’d be raised? Besides it isn’t that hard to remember them when you’ve been saying them as long as you remember.”

“Eh, what are you guys yapping about,” Shura came over after securing their tests.

“Okumura managed to get all the answers right in Recitation class for once. But he annoyed the teacher by singing the answers.”

Shura gave a loud laugh.

“Of course you’d only know them how you learned them in church,” Shura laughed, plopping herself on one of the unoccupied desks. “I’ll have to remember that, though. There’s some stuff you can do with seals that tie into the Latin Rite.”

“You knew how Rin knew the prayers?” Shiemi asked.

“Yeah, Shirou was my mentor. He tried getting me in church too, but it didn’t stick quite as well as it did for this one. He did manage to drill the Latin in my head that way though.”

Then she started laughing again even louder.

“What’s so funny?” Rin asked.

“I just remember stopping in for a visit right around the time they were figuring out the two of you could sing so well. One of the parishioners was raving to Shirou about you. ‘The voices of angels’ she kept saying, and he had the weirdest look on his face. Now it makes sense.”

There were various looks of amusement around the group as they considered the statement. Rin was smiling as well because he could remember the smile on his father’s face in later years when he’d received the same compliment. 

“I’ll have to admit though, the two of you really could sing.” Shura conceded, sobering a bit. 

Rin blushed as everyone stared at him. He scratched the back of his head and looked down.

“Eh, I’m not that good any more. After our voices changed, well Yukio’s the one who can really sing now.”

“Nii-san!” There was huge amounts of exasperated outrage in his little brother’s voice. He looked up to see everyone’s eyes on the young exorcist standing in the door.

Shura started cackling even louder. 

“The look on your face, Scaredy,” she sputtered. Then she sobered, a smirk appearing on her face. “Though that reminds me of the time you did the same thing.”

“Oooh, tell us,” Rin begged, always ready to get dirt on his brother.

“Shura I have class now,” Yukio tried to sound firm, but the bright red cheeks made it obvious why he was worried.

“Eh, there’s time. Now gather round kiddies and I’ll tell you about the time Scaredy Cat Four Eyes here made half the squad miss a shot.”

Shura began to speak over the top of his twin’s sputtering protests. Meanwhile Rin settle down to listen along with the rest of his friends.


End file.
